Congratulations, Jaqueline!
I drew your name from my grandmother's birthday post.
Email me your mailing information, and I will get your
party favor mailed right away.

PS: I'm having a camera issue at the moment,
but I will be posting pictures of your treat.

Enjoy life!

We'll chat soon.

Have a great

weekend, Baby!

We are road

tripping across

Texas!!

Swim Cap 2009-2010

2009-2010

SENIOR VARSITY

SWIM CAPTAIN

Way to go Tripp!!

Will you be here???

Thank you, friends, for all your sweet comments while I've been getting the three kiddos into their new school year. It is amazing how exhausting it has been. Last week was filled with back to school shopping, meet the teachers and celebrations, and the past two days have been filled with back to school committee meetings. Whew!!! I already need a vacation. Throw in this baby puppie's potty training, and I'm almost certifiable!! Good news, the Travelin' Mister starts a couple weeks of heavy travel tomorrow, so I'll be down one child! LOL!!!
In response to several comments on my grandmother's up-coming 100th Birthday celebration...

Meet Dorothy Kate Fry McDonald, or Cockle Mommy, born August 31, 1909 to Nanona and Bill Fry in Burnet, Texas. This beautiful picture is dated 1926. She would be 17, the age Tripp is now. Her hair is auburn and her eyes are blue.

This first picture I couldn't help but post. It is one of my favorites of my grandfather, Johnny McDonald, Poppy, as boy with his dogs. Cockle and Poppy were high school sweethearts. Poppy passed away in 1987.

The second photo is my great grandmother who passed at age 101 in 1986 (talk about stories!), and my grandmother in January of 1910. The back of the picture is printed below. I love the Gibson Girl look and the beautiful gown. We still have this gown.

Cockle and Poppy moved to Burkburnett after they were married and built a life around the oil fields. They rented a property from my grandfather's mother until they could pay cash for their own home in Wichita Falls, while paying cash for all their automobiles and sundry items. My grandmother had to take out a credit card after Poppy died to have "credit" as an independent woman. Can you imagine?? She still pays cash to this day, and will lecture you about the evils of owing a bank or credit company. She loves to travel, and has been to many, many foreign lands. She told my mother recently that she has been traveling again, but has been unable to get to Mexico. Only we know these travels are in her mind or maybe her heart. She has a very creative and artistic soul, one of her traits I am most proud to have inherited, and loved to garden. She always brought a rock home from each of her travels for her rock garden. I think this is one reason I love the Lucille Ball movie "The Long, Long Trailer". Do you remember the scene??? She taught me most everything I know about the kitchen. To this day I miss waking up at her house on Thanksgiving morning and smelling the goodness that was in store. She has always been a modern metropolitan woman. She worked out several times a week at the "Spa", she was an avid reader, a faithful Baptist playing the organ at Sunday services, a member of countless bridge clubs, and did her shopping in DALLAS! There are so many, many stories she could tell of the changing times. Automobiles, Oil, Travels, Fashions and Friends, but these are some of the things that come to my mind most immediately.

Don't forget to leave a comment on my original post of Cockle's Birthday for my party favor drawing. I will be drawing the winner on Saturday (my Birthday)!

Okay...back to what I started a while ago. Several of y'all left me comments on these wonderful things. My, favorites of coarse were those of you who had no idea what these could be, but for the most part the comments were somewhat correct.
Those of you who think these are the "Bigger than life, Homecoming Mum" available only in Texas, are, for the most part, right...These are the "boy" version of the mum. The GARTER. These poor boys have to wear these monsters on their arms!!! They are not pinned, stapled or strapped around their necks like the girl's mums are!!! They have to have the muscles to hold them up.
My favorite comment referenced the mum being decorated with as many trinkets as a florist could apply. This is my favorite because there are no florist here. We run the Mum Shop as a school fund raiser. Raising over $35,000 yearly.

The Homecoming Mum itself came to be in the 1920's as a live mum flower corsage with streamers given from a boy to his date for the homecoming football game. This tradition continued, evolving in the '80's to an artificial flower and streamers to the floor! They showcase the recipient and the giver's interests in the trinkets and decorative additions. Most have a school mascot or a dressed bear in the center of the flower, and all are defined by the noise they make. A girl's mum can hold any number of cowbells, and boy's garter will be weighted down by many, many bells and whistles. Our high school, JJ Pearce keeps the tradition going with underclass men's mums and garters flashing the school colors of red and blue while the seniors are defined in white and silver. There will be individuals who flash bold ribbons of pink, purple or their soon to be college colors, but they are grounded in the senior white and silver. I made the above garter on the right with the bear showcasing my son as a football player, varsity swimmer, his weightlifting and if you look really closely his earring. The one on the left has a deer with a rifle among its streamers. It is amazing the detail that goes into these amazing things!

Back to our Mum Shop... We take possession of a retail space in July and set up shop. Mother's work around the clock cutting ribbons, gluing flowers and making ribbon points. My job? I dress bears and finish. The past three years I have dressed 150 football bears each season. This year? 25 Swim bears!! I like my new job. Once the season is underway, about the second week of school, and the kiddos begin to ask dates to the October 5 homecoming, I will be working non-stop to finish out the mum. I will attach bears, bows, bells and trinkets. Some will take up to four hours to complete. Believe it or not, this is one of my favorite things about our high school. It is so much fun to see the look on the kids faces when they pick up their mums, and to have the dates squeeze your neck in gratitude for the extra effort you give to their flower. Is this really only in Texas?? I can't imagine we are alone, but then again we do stand alone!!! Happy Football Season Y'all!!!

My Grandmother's Birthday Celebration Give-Away

It's almost time to sing Happy Birthday to a very special girl. Put on your party hats and your cutest dress.

It is her day to shine, be pampered, and eat all the cake she wants!

It is her day to be the queen of the day, the decade, the CENTURY!


Happy Birthday (almost), COCKLE! A girl only turns 100 once!


Why am I not waiting until the actual day, August 31st?? Because in your honor I want to give a party favor to one of my visiting friends. Join me as a friend/follower and leave me a comment between now and August 29th, and I will draw a name for a very special gift.

Isn't this bag too cute?!?

Weekend inspiration, my friends.

sorry, source unknown

Wishing you a better weekend than this poor soul!!!!
Ouch!

Me gusta!!!!

In my opinion, quite possibly the perfect kitchen.

Lovely, bright , vivid colors really make my day!

You know what else makes my day??? My very first award! Given to me by the Blogging Queen of the Social Scene, Bunny at the Paris House. I visit Bunny everyday for tips on everything from home and garden to fitness and fun. The best thing about her is her friendship. Though we've never met I consider her a dear friend I want to visit with daily! I send this award on to another amazing blog friend. Designer, domestic diva and mother, Angela Henry. Angela's blog was the catalyst in the creation of mine. She is a daily inspiration with amazing creativity and a love of family, art interiors and life.


Bunny posted ten things about herself, but I am answering with only five things about myself that you may or may not know:

1) I live 1 mile from where I grew up and all my children except the youngest have attended the same schools I attended. In fact my drill team picture is still hanging in the athletic hall at the high school today.

2) My youngest child attends a private school that focuses on learning differences. He is dyslexic, dysgraphic, ADD and touched with Asperger's Syndrome.

3) I am a 6th generation Texan!!!!!

4) I too lost a baby. I had an ectopic pregnancy rupture.

5) I was an only child with a younger half sister who I never got to know. I just found out she has a blog as well, so hopefully she and I will become friends through our blogs. She has a beautiful new baby girl who I can't wait to get to know!!

Thanks again, Bunny!! You made my day!

Yellow and pink chairs from Ada & Darcy

Chandelier from La La Lovely

Time for the Saturday night bath!

I must think this one is twice as nice!!

Sending you weekend inspiration...I plan to do some sewing. what are you planning to do?
inspiration from sis boom

I love birds. I could sit mesmerized for hours in the yard watching them swoop and soar.

This little chandelier makes me practically giddy with joy. What a simple project with a such a spectacular outcome. Just add a couple millinery birds, butterflies or flowers to a beautifully drippy, wonderful light. I have got to do this.

The room this little pretty hangs in isn't so bad itself!

Can anyone tell me why I can no longer change the font, size of print or color of print on my post? When I go to write a new post it gives me the script of the pictures not the actual picture and calls my post an edit even though it is a new post. What's up???

If you ever find yourself on I-30 going through Royse City, Texas, you'll want to make this stop!!! I personally recommend everything on the menu...especially the ribs and the cabbage!!! Thanks, Scott, for a perfectly smoked pig!
xxx kim

Doesn't this look like fun?

I Love these reds. Especially the dresser on top.

As the work goes on in Race's room, my vision for it is taking a more definite shape. I now am obsessing on this shade of red for his dresser. since I will be re-painting three of the walls (always prime first to keep the integrity of the chosen paints color - easy to say now), I am asking if anyone out there knows of a really good RED paint color.

While I'm waiting to hear from you, I will be driving 45 miles to take the HOG that the travelin' Mister and little man shot this weekend to get smoked. Sounds like a job for the Mister doesn't it? He's travelin'.

Red Dresser from Laissez Faire
Red Table from Retreat by Kennedy

The Makings of a Wonderful Day!!!!

Thank you, Angela, Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!!! It is always wonderful to get a surprise in the mail, mixed amidst the bills and junk...

Wrapped in "brown paper packaging tied up with strings"....always one of my favorite things!

You couldn't have chosen anything better for me! I love the turquoise (of course, I am a Texan), the pink (a given), but the phrase was perfect!! Thank you so much!! I Love It!! You not only made my day, but quite possibly my summer. You are an angel!! Your creativity amazes me. Your generosity astounds me!
Thank you, Angela

Visit Angela Henrie at justthejewelry.blogspot.com